Although many local news sites don’t have the funds or manpower to create grand multimedia stories, others like Snowfall still exist. Read more for some great examples of multimedia stories that will keep your interest through compelling images, narratives, video, graphics and much more.

Flash Flood: Hurricane Katrina's Inundation of New OrleansThis was an early version of multimedia storytelling. It’s solely an interactive graphic but allows viewers to follow Hurricane Katrina in a time stamped fashion. It’s not the most sexy interactive graphic, I will admit. However, I can follow it. I understand how the hurricane traveled. More importantly, I was engaged the whole time learning about it.

Johanna: Facing ForwardAnother story that I believe is a good multimedia example is The Plain Dealer’s “Facing Forward” series about a woman named Johanna who was beaten by her boyfriend. One of my former professors, Rachel Dissell, is the reporter on it. As a word girl, I admire Rachel’s writing in the eight-part series. She introduces dialogue between the people in the story almost as if she was there telling it. She creates characters, tells a compelling story and at the same time encourages awareness about teen dating violence. The PD also has one web page where it files all stories about Johanna so that readers can follow the most up to date news about her. While all this is convenient for readers, one aspect of this piece I don’t like is that multimedia is not embedded into the story. There aren’t any slideshows or interactive graphics that give the reader a break from the text. But, in my opinion, the text doesn’t need breaks. It’s compelling and written in such a way where you have no choice but to keep scrolling.

This story what chronicles the environment in Chile after its President Salvador Allende was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup. It happened on the same day as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., and the author draws parallels between the repression, torture and fear of both events. My friend recommended this story to me since he knew I was interested in Latin American history. The title intrigued me right away because in my lifetime I can’t imagine another event as horrific as 9/11. As a millennial, I understood it because the story related back to an event I experienced.

Although its written nationalistically, I would consider this a historical multimedia narrative, not so much a story. It has title pages that make a statement with powerful images and short quotes that make readers want to keep reading. I liked that with every scroll, my mouse touched a new multimedia element whether it was a video, a row of documents or a photo. Each section of the story is divided into short chapters. I know after I scanned the story, I was surprised at how short each section was and how easy it was to get through such a dense topic.

Intense field reporting is the result of this story about Central American immigrants—namely children—who aim to make their way to the United States for a better life. The Arizona Republic staff who reported this story is smart in how it is told and displayed online. One aspect I especially like about the story is that—similar to The Other 9/11—it has statement photos that divide the story (I actually prefer to call it an investigative piece or historical narrative) into chapters. That way, the reader can decide which aspects of the story he or she finds the most interesting, wants to skip or skim or over. I also liked how one of the first multimedia elements in the story was a video that summarized this issue. For me, it told readers why they should care, why they need to actually read the story. Other multimedia elements followed including graphs, lots of photos and pull quotes. This story and “The Other 9/11” both also utilize whitespace well. The text is in the center with white space surrounding it. Multimedia elements act as a welcome break in the whitespace for the reader. Paragraphs are also easy to read as they are maybe two sentences at length. Keeping paragraphs short adds to the whitespace and overall digital artistry that this story, as well as other I’ve discussed in this post, possess.

It’s a 2012 story written by NYT reporter John Branch, who chronicles a 2012 avalanche in Tunnel Creek in Washington state. The natural disaster happened when 16 of the top free skis and snowboards in the nation started a run at Tunnel Creek section of the Cascade Mountains. Three were found dead while the others escaped with minor injuries.

Branch’s reporting is seamless, detail-oriented and deep. He interviewed the survivors, their families, those working on the mountain range at the time, the rescue team, various scientists to understand how the avalanche even happened.

He employed the help of ingenious graphic designers, web designers, videographers, and—I’m sure—countless editors to form this six-part multimedia series that transports readers to 2012 when the avalanche occurs. His reporting makes you feel like you are an armchair traveler along for the ride. The story plays out like a movie in your head when you read it.

As a journalist starting out in the field, I think a story is good when the multimedia adds to the already well-reported and written story. “Snowfall” does just that.

1. Its photos tell stories Some of my favorite galleries in the story are the ones of the widows of the three men who were killed during the excursion. Readers see through photos the women have submitted and those taken after the tragedy by an NYT photographer how these women’s lives have changed because of this disaster. More importantly, it shows the stages of life and how you go on living despite life’s hardships.

2. Videos show raw emotions that words cannot expressHearing and seeing the eyewitnesses speak about the avalanche is chilling, and the producers of this story knew that. They took the most emotional and juiciest bits and put them together so that when the story reached a suspenseful part, a video added to the suspense, and readers received the full emotional roller coaster of the 2012 avalanche.

3. Graphics give the readers visuals for exactly how the avalanche occurred

I think the most impressive graphic is a real time animation of how the avalanche formed. It shows how fast the snow went as it went down the mountain and how it picked up, lost speed and was formed.

As someone who appreciates this multimedia masterpiece, I would encourage you to actually read it. It’s thrilling. It takes you on a journey. I mean, it won a Pulitzer.

My only criticism of “Snowfall” is that it’s so long. It’s a six-part series. The only reason I read all of it was because I had a class discussion on it in one of my journalism classes. It’s ALOT to get through.

I suggest you do it, though. Even if how the story is told isn’t something you enjoy, you’ll appreciate the innovative web design and multimedia elements that took six months to produce.

Although the journalism field should be leading the brigade into the digital age, it’s not.

Why?Baby boomers—not digital natives—rule newsrooms. They make the decisions. They grew up printing ink on dead trees and having it mean something to not only them but also the reader. Now, it’s not like that. Don’t get me wrong. My parents are baby boomers. I love them. I love that that generation can solve problems without technology. That’s something my generation hasn’t experienced.I remember the editor-in-chief of the Columbus Dispatch, Ben Marrison, having lunch with the Dispatch interns—I was one of them—last summer on one of the first weeks we started there. “The Internet has made people dumb.” he said.I couldn’t agree more. The Internet gives us information literally at our fingertips if we’re on our cell phone. We have search engines so in tune with a person’s search history that it will guess what you’re trying to search for. We have become lazy information gatherers in our daily lives. However, I would argue that finding the right information online is a skill. Knowing what to click on a website, how social media even works, how to make your own website and navigate others is a skill. I know it may seem like I’m ranting, but this generational and technological divide became very apparent when I was helping my 89-year-old grandmother set up her iPad. My grandma uses the Internet to check email and perform Google searches. It’s simple, but she says that’s all she needs it for. Not a digital native or usual Apple user, my grandma has wanted to give up on the iPad because the language Apple uses in its icons is foreign to her. Looking at it from her eyes, I see why.

Take a look at Apple's toolbar for email on the iPhone. Those who are not digital natives had to learn the significance of these symbols. As a digital native, I unconsciously press these buttons without thinking much. I know that a curved arrow means reply. I know that a pencil pointing diagonally on a square means I want to compose an email. I know that the file folder means I want to file the email somewhere. I just know. I press the button like it's a reflex. My grandmother—the woman who watches jeopardy every day, reads the newspaper everyday, does the newspaper crossword and Sodoku almost every day—doesn't. I took knowing what these symbols meant for granted.

I'm not sure when the symbol to the left became known as the menu symbol worldwide. It;s just three horizontal, parallel lines.

But alas, it does mean that when you press it on your phone, the a site's navigation bar will appear before your fingertips.

I think the symbol that really boggles my mind though is the one to the left.

It's a symbol that both Apple Maps and Google Maps use that when pressed shows users where they are. Users have also become used to seeing themselves as a flashing blue dot on these apps.

When did this become a thing? When was it universally understood that these buttons—that I press probably daily on my phone—carried the meaning that they do. To me, it makes sense. Of course, I would press the arrow to see where I am. of course, I would click on the mail icon to see if I have any new emails. But that's not how everyone thinks.

I think web designers have to realize this. While the icons I described have become an industry standard in web design, we still have to consider what makes the most sense to the reader. How, as news sites, can we transition our traditional paper readers to our awesome web content? What icons, navigation pathways and layouts make sense so that both our digital natives and print people feel comfortable and willing to read on?

Until recently, page design in the news business referred to how many stories would fit nicely on an 11x17 inch page of newsprint.

It referred to how a story would look like in print, what photo it would have, what information the story conveyed and appeal on the page.

Page design for the web is both surprisingly similar, except a writer isn’t confined to to space limitations. The page could go on forever, as we’ve seen on the Los Angeles Times’ website.

Another distinction web or mobile has with news “page design” is that it has to catch someone’s eye immediately or they are just a click away from having a reader’s attention averted

However, there are a certain aspects of web page design that, as a journalist, I need to take advantage of. Since the web, inherently, allows you to do more, here’s my list of what makes a good news story on the web.

1﻿﻿. Readable paragraphs, digestible information.﻿﻿I liked when no more than two sentences are in a paragraph or block of text in a news story online. It makes it easier for the web, and especially mobile, user to get through. I shouldn’t have to trudge my way though pointless quotes or wordy information online. I should be able to see something—most likely even scan it— and read it. I like when journalists use bullet points or lists to break things down online because they allow the user to scroll through fast getting the key main points. I also like when breaking news stories are short, sweet and to the point. They tell the news. With issue stories, I like when they include multimedia and breaks for the reader to reflect on the information. I think one of the true challenges for any digital journalist today is choosing the right mediums to captivate their audience so that their piece gets clicks online.

Image from http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-robert-durst-former-brother-in-law-20150317-story.html

2. VisualsAlthough I am your traditional word nerd of a journalist, I know that no one will read your story id there isn’t a good visual attached. In a story online, I believe that the visual should be “above the fold,” and tell your story or at least tease it before the reader has a chance to process any of its words. Great examples are Buzzfeed and the Gannett newspapers I’ve talked about in previous posts.

3. Multimedia=Interactivity Audio, video, a timeline, a quiz, interactive graphs, a searchable database and an interactive graphic are all examples of engaging multimedia that I have been involved with making just as an editor of student media at Kent State University.

For professional organizations with more money and resources, the possibilities are endless. Plus, there are so many free, outside sources for journalists to use that there should be no excuse that your story doesn’t look as good as the infamous “Snowfall” multimedia story by none other than The New York Times. 4. LinksLinks are tricky for news sites because you don’t want people to leave the information you’re presenting them, but you also want to give them outlets to learn more information. I’m just starting out in the field of journalism, so I’m not exactly sure how to handle linking information the right way or what the industry standard is (I’ll explore this in my upcoming posts).

Despite this, here’s my rule of thumb: If a journalist or a news organization is citing information from an organization’s website, using government statistics or citing another news story by its organization or another where they found certain information, it must be linked. With that said, I don’t believe journalists should link to every organization’s website they mention in a story because that could lead to a false sense of promotion, which is the opposite goal of a journalist.5. PollsAlthough they can be annoying, they are engaging. Polls don’t have to be long, usually only one question. I personally like it when polls are part of the story at the end as a sidebar. When exiting a story, I think it is appropriate to poll readers about their feelings toward a topic so that you can get a sense of how people feel and write stories based off of those results.

6. Social media sharing and commenting buttons This is SUPER important. I apologize for shouting, but if a news website doesn’t have those little Twitter and Facebook icons (there should be more options for sharing on more social media sites like Reddit and Blogger and such), they should just forget about increasing their page views. I personally like when these icons travel with a reader as they go through a story so that at any time, the reader can click on the icon to share the story on their social network.

In addition to these icons, I think stories should have some type of reader comments at the end tying in their social media accounts. Although I personally hate this because I don’t like giving out my personal information this way. many people do. For lots of journalists, comments are super annoying. Past five comments on a story and the commenting take a turn for the worse talking about aspects not related to the subject. Despite this, commenting is necessary. It’s a sneaky way to engage readers using their social media accounts.

Mobile users can get inundated with all types of push notifications from their favorite gaming apps like Candy Crush to news apps like The New York Times.

According to blogger Andrew Chen, 60 percent of users opt out of push notifications when asked if they want to receive them. But, mobile users can agree it’s hard to ignore their presence. It’s like a mobile “tap on the shoulder” to give you some type of news, according to techcrunch.com

“...it’s hard to over-hype the power of mobile push notifications. For the first time in human history, you can tap almost two billion people on the shoulder.” —Entrepreneur Ariel Sideman.

Here’s what I think makes for great push notification usage by media outlets.

Design: As I said in my last post, I prefer when push notification are sent from news organizations, and I can access the story in seconds with a slide of my thumb. I think the news organization should you their logo, which should be recognizable. This seems to be the industry standard. In his blog, Chen argues that push notifications from news sites with red logos are more likely to get “pushed” because red is the color of breaking news for mobile users.

Ask: I think if the user has been so kind to download your news app, you need to ask if they would like to receive push notifications from you. If you’re like me, push notifications are the reason why I download some apps. However, it has become courtesy for both news, entertainment and gaming apps to ask the user is they want to receive push notifications. It’s almost as if the app is asking if they can invade your phone more with their presence, which users can choose to grant.

Timing: This is the most important aspect of push notifications. Timing, espeically in news is everything. For what types of “breaking news” do you send push notifications? How many do you send per week? When are people most likely to click or “push through” a notification? Personally, I prefer receiving push notifications for world news because I tend to seek out more local news on a daily basis. According to techcrunch.com, about five to seven push notifications per week is a good amount, and I agree. However, if there are rapid changes in a story, I would like to be able to look at my phone and know what is changing and when. That might be the news junkie in me.

Relationship: Push notifications are another outlet for users to form a relationship with a news organization’s content. They should act as friendly reminders or notices. For me, the news notifications I get on my phone remind me to consider what’s going on in world news because I can get bogged down in the day to day local news that directly affects my life. If done correctly, push notifications are helpful. News organizations should use them. However, I think they need to monitor user experience with them in order to ensure that they do not become disabled on a user’s mobile device.

I truly believe that the intention of each part of how news site and its respective pieces and parts is designed is to try to give the user the easiest way to get their news fast. One aspect of this design—that is a big part of mobile use—is push notifications. You’re probably asking, “What’s to design about push notifications?” They come up on your phone screen with the logo of the app you are getting them from. They say whatever the company wants you to know that moment. They’re easy to get rid of with the upward swipe of your thumb.However, the way news organizations design their push notifications contributes to overall user experience and navigation on their site.For example, some news push notifications you see on your phone. You swipe with your thumb on the notification to the left, and it takes you right to the story. The news apps that I have that do that are CNN, BBC and the Columbus Dispatch.

But these apps also have a downfall. If you go to your notifications after the initial breaking news one has been sent, you click on a story and the breaking news story that you may have wanted to read an hour later doesn’t exist. However, a warning message does pop up that says the news organization will bring the you news updates as the story unfolds. Personally, I don’t like this because sometimes I don’t have time to read the whole story when a push notification is sent. However, I do like to go back when I have time to read the stories to see how the information unfolded.

Another finicky thing about push notifications is that when some are sent, the notification takes the user to the app, not the story. This doesn’t help user experience as the user is sent to search for the story on the app. The point of push notifications, I believe, is to take the user right to the breaking news or notification to find out more information.

I think the Arizona Republic (this could go for all Gannett news apps, too) does it right. When I click on a headline that I have received a push notification for, I get another notification that asks me if I am sure I want to proceed to the article. A user can click “view article” and it takes them there. This is the best way to do it in my opinion. With the app for Kentwired.com, for example, I, as the site’s editor, can send push notification, but they don’t lead anywhere besides the app’s main screen, which has different sections for news, sports, opinion and TV. The Associated Press’s app does the same thing. How is anyone—especially a college student—supposed to know where to go if you don’t lead them right to the point.

I believe if done the correct way, push notifications can be effective, but they have to take the reader directly to the news of what they are being notified about.

So many news apps exist that I couldn’t keep my thoughts to just one post!Aside from Yahoo! News Digest, NYT Now and Flipboard that I already analyzed, here’s a list of the top 5 news apps I would recommend to college students (in no order) that they may not know about.

Time-saving on-the-go is what Circa is about. One feature about this app that’s unique is that it lets users follow news stories they are interested in and will give them push notifications when a new development in that story hits the interwebs. Like other news apps, it gives you a morning briefing based on the stories you have read before. It allows you to subscribe or continue to the site without an account and customize your breaking news alerts.

The app’s layout is one to be admired. Like others, it’s a list of headlines, but also a photo as the backdrop to each headline. Each story is pieced into sections big enough for your smartphone screen.

While I don’t like that it pulls chunks of news and quotes from other news sources without much credit, I do like that it’s super user-friendly and easy to use and navigate.

Super visual is the first thought that comes to mind when looking at the interface of the Associated Press’s app. Each section of stories is divided into blocks to separate content. For example, the “News” section has a photo of Minnie Miñoso, a former Chicago White Sox player who died Mar 1. Once the user clicks on a section they want to explore, readers are offered a list of headlines and photos to scroll through (again, following the “bite, snack, meal” method).

Like the NYT now app, the AP posts the whole story. Again, it is a news organization, unlike an aggregate, that creates its own content, so once they have a reader, they want to give them as much as they can.

3. Salon.comWith a sleek design, Salon’s news app design is something to fawn over. Its crisp logo is at the top with two stories shown as you open the app. Like the AP, Salon creates its own content, so it offers users top stories it wants them to read instead of letting the user choose.

As a writer, I enjoy Salon’s headlines because they’re so clever and are smart clickbait to get the reader to click on them.

Salon also gives users the full story with links in it, which allows reader to go elsewhere on the web. Once in a story, Salon allows you to press an arrow and go to the nest one that the staff chooses for it to be in its top stories section. There’s also a most read section after scrolling through five headlines the site selects for you that dictates what others find interesting in Salon’s content.

4. AgogoAgogo is a news aggregator that allows you to select the the topics you are interested in and offers you a customized timeline of short audio stories. It allows users to sign up via email or Facebook and choose the stories to add to your “GO channel” you want to follow with a click of a button.

To be honest, I don’t like the Agogo’s layout because it is so blocky and text-heavy. I think the fact that you can listen to stories is great, but I like to be brought into a story by a good visual as well.The app is totally customizable and can be easily navigated by using the hamburger (what the app calls the menu bar) in the upper right hand corner. I think the fact that users have to perform the extra step and use the menu bar to navigate the site is annoying.

I also feel that its icons to add a story to your GO Channel (pressing the start in the upper left hand corner of a story) aren’t easy to understand what they are used for at first. However, if you’re an audio learner or want to listen to a five minute news update as you walk down the Esplanade, this apps is right for you!

5. NewsbeatAnother radio news app, Newsbeat allows users to select what topics of news they are interested in and hear and read about those topics at the same time. It also allows you to select international, national and local news sources you already use and reads the stories to you.

I don’t like that the voices reading the stories are super monotone and not interesting, but that’s on the computer system the company uses. I do like that users have the choice to read a bit of a story or listen to it. They also have the choice to add similar content to their news feeds, by clicking two squares in the upper right-hand corner.

As a journalist, I like that this app gives credit where it is due when users either read or listen to news stories. The site also gives readers the option to continue to the news site for the full story.

The app is easy to use with a simple audio bar at the bottom that allows users to stop and start a story or flip to another story using left and right arrows. Depending on the source website’s mobile friendliness, the stories are either hard to get through by reading or easy to see in short chunks of text.

For me, a good news app lets me get through as many headlines and absorb the most information about them in the least amount of time. If I have a 15-minute break in between classes, I want to whip out my phone, and browse the latest headlines.

News apps that succeed tend to do this. And most of them are aggregate apps, which means they take the most popular news from around the web—of course, giving credit where it is due (and hopefully payment)—and put them together with other stories based on your interest.

For example, Yahoo! News Digest, an app that is fairly easy to read with accessible sharing capabilities, allows users to browse the latest headlines, click on them and read no more than 500 words on the subject, see a cool graphic or pull out from the story and at the bottom, be able to browse other, related links.

This app also lets users choose at which times during the day they will receive their daily news digest. These come via push notifications two times per day. It keeps track of the stories you read, so it knows what stories to send you at your news break, which you choose.YOU is a common theme among news apps. They want to cater to you. They use successful algorithms to make sure you have a news experience tailored to your wants and desires.

Another news app is NYT Now, the New York Times app geared for millennials. The design of the app's stories uses the "bite, snack, meal" method" of displaying stories I've discussed in previous posts. I also like that every morning, the app sends you morning news updates. However, I don't like that when you click on stories, a block of scrolling text appears. With other apps, that seems to not be the case as they offer you the most newsy part of the story and then link you to other stories for you to find out more information. However, I think the NYT does this because it creates its own content and wants its mobile app users to read all of it (ideally). They want to keep the readers they have locked into their brand. They also allow the option for users to subscribe to the app, another way for them to keep readers in the age of information overload.

One of the most popular news apps is Flipboard, another news aggregate. It’s design more like a magazine as readers can flip upwards with their thumb to scroll through headlines. As a traditional app user, I prefer scrolling, but I do like that flipping is what sets this app apart. Flipboard, like the New York Times, also wants to know as much about its users and keep its readers. It asks them to log in with their Facebook or Twitter account in order get more information about what the person likes. Once registered, the user has an endless list of story topics he or she wants to see as they flip. You can pick as many topics as you want and change them whenever you want. The app’s story layout uses the “bite, snack, meal” option as well. A large photo, one the app has sized from the news source where the story comes from, appears at the top with a descriptive headline and the tag at the top of one of your interests you selected. You click on the photo to read stories and are taken to the news site where the story is from. Personally, I like that readers are taken to another site. It allows Flipboard to transfer credit to the story where it is due. I can also explore sites that I might not have otherwise visited. Again, part of the “you-centered” experience apps offer.Check my next post to see other news apps that get it right!

The answer to the above question is "I don't know." As said in my previous post, I outlined some of the aspects of good mobile design for news organizations, which included having the webpage be easily navigated by someone's thumb, having a short menu of options and connecting to social platforms and keeping the design of it simple. The above websites I have critiqued for their web design, which transfers to the mobile version. Notice, I am talking about apps. These screenshots are simply from going to these websites in my browser. Here's a few things I notice about this set in particular:

Images: There is a large feature image with a headline that links to a story. Large feature images are also at the top of each story.

Menu bar: A simple three horizontal lines is part of the mobile language that tells is there is more, that there is a menu of options.

Multiple links: Not just one story fits in the 4x2 inch screen of your phone (Well, I have an iPhone 5. Some screens may be larger).

Uncrowded simplicity: These sites in particular don't bog the reader down with information. I think in mobile design, they shouldn't people want quick news. They want to get idea of a story in 10 words or less. I think CNN does this well, especially with the breaking news bar they have for the Oscars. However, I like how the BBC has designed its mobile site better. It follows the "bite, snack, meal" method" Janice Redish suggests in her book "Letting Go of the Words." I can read a 25 word (more or less) description of the story, see the headline and maybe see a photo. Plus, I have easy access to the site's menu and homepage. What more could a mobile user want?

The image of the right is Vox media's site. Like I said, I like that the headlines give readers a good idea about what the story says, but this mobile layout is not visually appealing enough. It's plain and simple, which is good. However, I would like to see more of a visual element to accompany stories. I do like that they have Facebook and Twitter icons on the homepage, which shows that they are social media friendly. I also think the arrow next to the icons for its menu adds a unique stylistic element, which often lacks in mobile news design.

Next to BBC, The Guardian's design has to be my favorite. It has a clear menu option, and I like that it lists some of the content pages at the top. The most popular pages views don't have to scroll though the menu to find. I also like that the weather is visible and that the site successfully fits three stories onto its opening screen (one being a photo, which tells a story in itself).The New York Times uses the tiniest thumbnails known to mankind on its mobile site. I like the use of its links, especially with The Academy Awards, and that each story has a short description of what it is about. It's similar to BBC in its mobile features, but fits three stories into the front screen when you first open it. Unlike Vox, it doesn't shove 5 headlines—only headlines—in your face.

It's interesting to see how images, words and icons work together in mobile design with one goal to mean something to the reader. Next. I'm going to analyze what makes a good app, which ones I like and what draws people to apps instead of opening a website in their browser.

It goes everywhere with me. It's said, but true to say that my cell phone is my lifeline.

It knows what I like. As a journalism major, it gives me the news everyday. It allows me to record interviews if my recorder conks out. It allows me to take pictures in an mere seconds. It is literally the one way my family and friends can contact me on a daily basis. Do I want to know the best place to eat in a new city? Well my phone knows that, too!

I'm sure you feel the same way. I totally agree with the lady to the right—like a good pair of earrings, I feel naked without my cell phone.

And I'm sure we've all been here....

A recent study by mobileinsurance.com found that people spend on average 90 minutes on their phone per day. For college students and millennials, I would argue—successfully, I might add—that we may spend a good two to three hours on our phone on a given day. We've grown up in a world that doesn't know what it's like to have a mobile device attached at our hip.

This is precisely why a good mobile design—both from a browser and app—is important. Many news sites, like the Tribune sites I spoke of in my last post, have put mobile importance at the forefront of their agenda for survival.

“Mobile is no longer a specialty, it’s a requirement” said Alex Hardiman, executive director of mobile at the New York Times. "Yes, it is still harder to monetize from mobile, but we all know that’s going to change—and probably pretty fast. So we must jump on the train now."

As the editor of Kentwired.com this semester, I've been researching what we can do better to connect with our mobile users. For us, that's all of our users since we primarily service college students. Here's what I found:

﻿Mobile connection comes primarily through social media. According to theverge.com, 30 percent of Facebook users connec﻿t to the site through their mobile device. According to Twitter's website, 80 percent of its readers access their profiles through their mobile phones. “Social and mobile are intrinsically linked,” Hardiman says. People share content more on mobile so you need to identify that type of content. “If you understand who your audience is and what it is that makes them share, then you’re going to win half the battle straightaway.”﻿

Enforce mobile constraints.Luke Wroblewski, product director at Google, suggests testing your design by making sure users can perform actions with just their thumb. "When these constraints are grounded in how people actually use their mobiles, you’ve given yourself a great way to tell if you’re going in the right direction with your design," he said in a 2013 Mashable.com story.

Keep calls to action front and center. This goes along with what Janice Redish, author of "Letting Go of the Words," teaches when she says to make useful links. Make all parts of a link to a story clickable. If you want people to notice your content bar, make it a recognizable icon. If you want people to subscribe to a certain RSS feed, have a huge button that says "Subscribe now." Make actions and their consequences know.

Menus should be short and sweet. News websites do a good job of this in their content bars on a desktop or laptop screen, which is why they can adapt to mobile well. However, I hate nothing more than having to scroll down to get to the option I want in a menu on my mobile device. "Consider how you can present the fewest menu items possible," a Google study suggests.

Make it easy to get back to the homepage. The Google study also suggests to make your organization's logo the source for taking visitors back to the homepage. This goes along with the point of making actions front and center. Web and mobile design follows a certain pattern and language through icons. The more mobile designers can anticipate what their readers already know about mobile navigation, the better the site will be designed for a positive user experience.